Everyone posts big-city screenshots so here's the other side. Small town in PA, been at this a few years. This year through mid-August: 580 deliveries, $4,878 gross, about $14.90 an hour of active time, and 5,018 miles on the car.

That mileage number is the one that matters. Out here I gross about 97 cents a mile, which every rule of thumb says is too low. What makes it work is the write-off: at this year's IRS rates (72.5 cents a mile through June, 76 cents from July 1), those 5,018 logged miles knock $3,683 off my taxable income. That's more than my tips all year. But it only holds up because every mile is in a log with dates.

I keep every fuel receipt and repair bill too. 63 fill-ups, $1,790 in gas, $975 in repairs, about $2,765 in actual car costs. You can only deduct one method or the other, and my numbers show why everyone says take the miles: the standard rate beats my real costs by about $900.

Small market means fewer orders, shorter waits, no parking hell, but every pickup is a drive. Ask me anything about small-town delivery work.

Everyone posts big-city screenshots so here's the other side. Small town in PA, been at this a few years. This year through mid-August: 580 deliveries, $4,878 gross, about $14.90 an hour of dash time, and 5,018 miles on the car.

That mileage number is the one that matters. Out here I gross about 97 cents a mile, which every rule of thumb says is too low. What makes it work is the write-off: at the IRS rates (72.5 cents a mile through June, 76 after), those 5,018 logged miles knock $3,683 off my taxable income. That's more than my total tips for the year. But it only holds up because every mile is in a log with dates. 37 trips this year were personal and got marked personal, and that's what makes it survive an audit.

I keep every fuel receipt and repair bill too. 63 fill-ups this year, $1,790 in gas, plus $975 in repairs, so about $2,765 in actual car costs. You can't deduct those on top of the mileage rate, you pick one or the other, and my numbers show why everyone says take the miles: the standard rate beats my real costs by about $900.

Small market means fewer orders, shorter waits, no parking hell, but every restaurant is a drive. Ask me anything about small-town dashing.

Quick PSA for newer drivers, because nobody explained this to me and it cost me real money.

When you DoorDash (or Uber, Instacart, whatever), you're a 1099 independent contractor — nobody withholds taxes for you. Two things will bite you in April if you're not ready:

1. You owe taxes on your profit, and you have to set the money aside yourself. A decent rule of thumb is to park about 25-30% of what you make in a separate account so tax time isn't a gut-punch. If you earn enough, the IRS also wants quarterly estimated payments (next deadline is Sept 15).

2. Your mileage is your biggest deduction, and most people badly undercount it. The IRS lets you deduct around 70¢ for every business mile — and that's not just the miles with food in the car. It's driving to your zone, between offers, repositioning, all of it. The in-app DoorDash mileage number is almost always 20-40% low because it only counts active deliveries. At 70¢/mile, a few thousand untracked miles a year is hundreds to thousands of dollars you're handing back.

The fix for both: track every mile from the second you leave the house, and stash your tax percentage as you go. Doesn't matter how — odometer and a spreadsheet works if you're disciplined (I wasn't), or use an auto-tracker so you don't have to remember.

Don't be me my first year, scrambling in April with no records and no money saved. Happy to answer any tax or mileage questions in the comments.

Hey all — looking for Android beta testers for GigLedger, a tax tracker built specifically for gig economy workers

(DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Lyft, Amazon Flex drivers, anyone earning 1099 income).

What it does:

- Real-time federal + state tax estimates as you earn

- Automatic GPS-based mileage tracking with the 2026 standard rate

- Schedule C preview (line-by-line IRS form, PDF export)

- Receipt scanning with on-device OCR

- Quarterly estimated payment with safe-harbor calculation

- 100% on-device, no cloud, no analytics, no ads

Why I need testers: Google requires 12 active testers for 14 days before allowing launch on Play Store. iOS version is already live with a 5-star review if you want to vouch the product is real.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gigledger-gig-tax-tracker/id6759967979

Two steps to join (need a Gmail + Android phone):

1. Group: https://groups.google.com/g/gigledger-android-beta

2. Wait ~5 min, then install: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.gigledger.android

Thanks 🙏